2024 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Safres

All from the les Bédines lieu-dit on sandy soils setting on top of sandstone, the 2024 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Safres is based on 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre, fully destemmed and aged 14 months in 90% foudre and 10% demi-muids. Red fruits, loamy earth, camphor, and dried flower notes all shine in the aromatics. It's medium-bodied, has a layered, elegant mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. This ripe, seductive, layered 2024 shows terrific balance and notable minerality. With roughly 1,166 cases produced, it's going to provide loads of pleasure right out of the gate. The Vacheron family, along with winemaker Bruno Gaspard, continues to make some of the region's finest wines. Located on the border of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Courthézon region, the estate is composed of 44 hectares in Côtes du Rhône and nine hectares in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and releases a range of brilliant Châteauneuf-du-Papes as well as Côtes du Rhônes. Sylvie and Marilou Vacheron run the estate today. The Côtes du Rhône range includes Le Caillou, Le Bouquet des Garrigues, Les Quartz, and La Réserve, while the Châteauneuf-du-Pape lineup includes Le Tradition (the entry-level cuvée made with the idea of early drinking), Les Safres (90% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre from sandy soils in les Bédines), Les Quartz (80% Grenache, 20% Syrah from les Cassanets with galets roulés and sandy Safre soils), and La Réserve (60% Grenache, 40% Mourvèdre from Pignan and Guigasse on sandy Safre soils). The wines are fully destemmed (there might be a touch of stems here and there) and aged in a mix of foudre, demi-muids, and neutral barrels. These are impeccably made wines that show remarkable purity and balance, yet I find the style here has become increasingly refined and elegant over the past few vintages, at times at the expense of personality and character.